Report says PIP implants are not toxic

A review led by the NHS Medical Director Professor Sir Bruce Keogh has found the material used in PIP implants is not dangerous to health.

The report found the implants - which contained silicone gel that had not been cleared for medical use - did not cause cancer.

However, the review found the implants had a higher danger of rupturing than other types, with a risk of 6 to 12% after five years, rising to 15 to 30% after 10 years (in comparison to 10 to 14% after a decade for other brands of implants).

It is believed that around 47,000 women in the UK have PIP implants, of which 95% were a result of private operations and 5% were done by the NHS.

The review team looked at 240,000 implants of different brands which were used in England and had been placed in 130,000 women, in addition to data concerning 5,600 implant removal procedures.

Professor Keogh said many women had been through an "incredibly worrying time".

He added that tests had "shown that the implants are not toxic and therefore we do not believe they are a threat to the long-term health of women who have PIP implants".

"We have however found that these implants are substandard, when compared to other implants and that they are more likely to rupture. We would therefore advise that women who have symptoms of a rupture - for example tenderness, soreness or lumpiness - should speak to their surgeon or GP."